Sunday
August 28
THE SOLID REALITY (Col. 2:16, 17).
After Jesus died on the cross, why was it legalism to con-
tinue the celebration of the sanctuary services that God had
instituted in Moses' day? Col. 2:16, 17.
Paul has warned against human traditions and man-made
philosophies (Col. 2:8). The faithful God-man, Jesus Christ,
died for our sins, making a way to abolish our legal debt
(verses 13, 14). Continuing the ceremonial services that pointed
forward to His death is a virtual denial that He has "canceled
the bond which stood against us" (verse 14, RSV). "If Christ be
not raised . . . ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). Ignoring
the reality by perpetuating the shadow substitutes a human
method of salvation for God's method. And that is legalism!
"A Shadow of Things to Come"
The phrase "a festival [feast] or a new moon or a sabbath"
(Col. 2:16, RSV) is an idiomatic or stylized reference to the
ceremonial sacrifices offered in the ancient Israelite sanctu-
ary or temple. The Old Testament background is Numbers
28 and 29, in which the burnt offerings daily, weekly, monthly
and yearly are listed. There were five yearly feasts, involv-
ing seven ceremonial sabbaths. Seven Old Testament pas-
sages use some form of the phrase "feasts, new moons,
sabbaths" (1 Chron. 23:31; 2 Chron. 2:4; 8:12, 13; 31:3; Neh.
10:33; Eze. 45:17; Hosea 2:11). Each passage refers to the
burnt offerings to be offered weekly, monthly, and yearly.
Usually the feasts specify only the three pilgrimage feasts
(Unleavened Bread, Weeks or Pentecost, and Tabernacles).
The sabbaths must, therefore, include the ceremonial
sabbaths—otherwise Solomon, for example, would have failed
to offer burnt offerings on the days of Trumpets and Atone-
ment (2 Chron. 8:12, 13). The word
sabbaths
in the phrase
"feasts, new moons, sabbaths" specifies the burnt offerings
for weekly and annual (ceremonial) sabbaths. In Colossians
2:16, 17, Paul taught that
the sacrifices offered
weekly (sabbath),
monthly, or yearly were a "shadow" pointing forward to
Christ (see Heb. 8:5; 10:1), which lost their significance at the
cross. But the weekly Sabbath remains as a perpetual memo-
rial of Creation (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Matt. 24:20; Heb. 4:9)
and a sign of sanctification (Ex. 31:13). The "food and drink"
(Col. 2:16, RSV) refer to the meal and drink offerings that
were presented to God along with the burnt offerings. (See
Num 28:2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 14, etc.)
81